


Freedom of Expression

by KingHippiedude (missreader)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, SHIELD, Trans, Trans Character, Trans Coulson, Trans Fury, Trans Man Coulson, Trans Man Fury, Transgender, Transgender Coulson, Transgender Fury, trans man, transgender character, transvengers, transvengers assemble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-18 15:36:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3574777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missreader/pseuds/KingHippiedude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fury starts working at SHIELD and discovers a freedom of expression he had never had before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freedom of Expression

**Author's Note:**

> For the Transvenger Initiative Prompt 1: First binder/bra/other underthing, for Nick Fury (and kinda Phil Coulson)

Fury felt out of place the first few weeks at SHIELD. The Army might not have been perfect, by any means, but at least there was a clear sense of order which Fury was familiar with. Freedom was a strange thing. Fury had become so accustomed to rules and regulation, to pushing aside anything personal, that the kind of freedom SHIELD offered was daunting. Fury could be himself.

The paperwork for new recruits was horrendously thorough. But it made Fury almost want to smile when he came to the question about gender. There were more options than he had ever known existed and two ‘other’ categories, one specified, one unspecified. And he was given the option of selecting multiple choices or simply not answering. SHIELD apparently didn’t really care about the gender identity of their employees so long as they got the job done.

It was strange being open about himself so publicly. And it was even stranger that no one really seemed to care. The only person he had ever been open with before was Coulson. They had formed a certain kinship in the Army based on their shared experiences. They had been isolated and never quite fit in, but they had both enlisted and stayed because they wanted to make a difference. And if that meant denying a part of himself, then so be it. He was good at his job and proud of it.

But at SHIELD he could be himself and make a difference. His first week, he got a haircut, read through pages and pages of nearly incomprehensible legal-ese to make sure he knew his rights, begrudgingly set up an appointment with a gender-identity specialist counsellor person, and started testing out names (he liked Marcus and Nick both, and hadn’t quite decided which one to go with yet).

But his absolute favorite thing was when he went to be fitted for a uniform. The woman in charge asked him to strip to be measured, and while he had never been particularly self-conscious, it was uncomfortable now that he was living as a man. The woman seemed utterly disinterested in the fact that his body didn’t match most people’s expectation of a man. Her only reaction was insist that he strip _completely_ (“and that means those sports bras and boxers too, mister!”), take a couple measurements, and calmly hand him what looked like an undershirt along with the fitted uniform boxer-briefs that each agent was apparently issued.

After being tutted at for standing there doing nothing, he started putting on the items, only to find himself trapped in quite a predicament moments later. The undershirt thing was much more fitted than he had expected and decidedly _did not_ want to be pulled over his head.

“Idiot boy,” the woman said, helping him free his arms. “You’re supposed to step into in and pull it up.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a binder, child. It flattens out your chest. Don’t try to work out or do anything strenuous in it, and absolutely don’t wear it for more than eight hours at a time.”

Then she proceeded to ignore his dumbfounded expression and continue fitting him with all manner of clothing, including a heavy duty sports bra that he _could_ exercise in and a variety of uniforms and tactical suits for all eventualities.

The binder was his new favorite piece of clothing. Though he was tempted to wear it 24/7, he had just enough medical knowledge to realise that that might be a bad idea and maybe he should listen to the clothing woman’s advice. So he did as she said and only wore the binder for relatively short periods and exchanged it for a sports bra when doing physical activity. But when Fury was just roaming the halls of SHIELD or sitting in an office, you could bet that he was wearing his binder under his shirt. Fury couldn’t wait ‘til he got to share this with Coulson.


End file.
